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28 August 2009

Why Evolution Is True

I read this one a couple of weeks ago for my last hurrah on evolution books (till school starts next week). I liked this one much better than Why Darwin Matters and think it's a better book by far, although the two books aren't necessarily trying to do the same thing. Coyne writes to sustain the theory of evolution, instead of to refute intelligent design. So he comes across as less shrill and annoyed about what others think (although he does get his jabs in at creationists). I thought the book was clear and well-explained and interesting.

The last chapter in particular was good, for the opposite of all the reasons that Why Darwin Matters wasn't so good. Even though Coyne is nothing like a creationist, he is much more sympathetic to the concerns many Americans have about evolution and addresses those concerns in a much better way. This book wouldn't convince anyone who's fanatically converted to a literal reading of Genesis that there may be another way to look at it, but for the many Americans who just don't know so much about evolution, this is a good book to read to learn more.